So Euro 2024 did not finish with triumph for Germany. The host country’s tournament ended after a valiant 2-1 defeat to Spain on July 5th. But performances still exceeded the expectations of fans who had seen Die Mannschaft stumble to defeat against Austria and Turkey in friendly matches late last year. Hosting this year’s European football championship with little chance of success seemed to fit the sour mood of a country that an unpopular government is trying to steer through various crises. But instead, the efforts by Julian Nagelsmann, the coach, and his players ended up indicating a way to lift the country out of its malaise.

       Germany has often associated footballing moments with larger political events. Take Das Wunder von Bern (the miracle of Bern) in 1954, when West Germany beat the highly favoured Hungarians to claim a first World Cup. That provided glory enough, but it also helped bring a country devastated both by war and by the scale of its political and moral failure back to its feet. It would go on to join NATO a year later, and a nascent EU two years after that.

       Hi! You’re reading a premium article from The Economist! Subscribe now for uninterrupted access Subscribe now Already subscribed? Login

       Premium benefits

       30+ articles from print edition and premium publication daily

       Present across social media apps to keep you updated

       In-depth Market Reports from leading experts

       Most loved Mint podcasts on 35+ topics

       Sharp insights supported by simple data and visuals

       Unlock 30+ well researched

       and bias free premium articles daily

       Access to global insights with

       100+ exclusive articles from

       international publications

       Get complimentary access to

       3+ investment based apps

       TRENDLYNE Get One Month GuruQ plan at Rs 1

       FINOLOGY Free finology subscription for 1 month.

       SMALLCASE 20% off on all smallcases

       5+ subscriber only newsletters

       specially curated by the experts

       Free access to e-paper and

       WhatsApp updates

       Not convinced yet?

       Share your contact details and

       we will get in touch with you…

       = 48 && event.charCode Confirm

       Thanks for sharing your number